By Anna Lee
The word “criticism” is littered with negative connotations. For a long time, I always identified that word as something bad, because to get criticism— or even worse, to be a critic— meant something inherently evil. However, this year in particular has been exceptionally illuminating for me, because I realized that criticism can be incredibly valuable without being hurtful.
Criticism: the analysis and judgment of the merits and faults of a literary or artistic work.
I have toyed with this concept for a long time, especially in my English or education classes where analyzing pieces is the bulk of the work. One of my professors said that we must always analyze the societal norms, and in that analysis, we must be critical because through that perception, we can disrupt, uproot, and change the societal structures based on hierarchical, unbalanced power systems. Now that we know why constructive criticism is important, here’s some tips on how to give it well.
Have the right mindset
Especially in writing, truly good constructive criticism comes from a genuine place of hope. Hope that, with this little grain of salt on the wound, the one receiving criticism will grow as better critical thinkers and writers. To give helpful constructive criticism, this mindset is crucial because then the comments and criticism you give can’t be inherently mean.
Take time to think
Ask yourself how and why the writer located their sentences. I think the questions you ask yourself mentally before you write them on paper gives a necessary couple seconds to think. It’s easy, especially at a first casual glance, to miss something within the paper. However, by rereading and repetitively asking why and how this idea or thought came to be make the criticism more thought-out.
Understand your reader
To give good constructive criticism, you have to be able to avail yourself more than just words written on the page. I think physically interacting with the writer, verbally and in person, is crucial, because as you talk about the paper and listen to what the writer has to say, you begin to foster a deeper understanding of them and their writing objectives. I often feel that red pen marks slashed across the page look a lot more menacing than spoken words at a meeting. For me, these meetings have been incredibly valuable in shaping me into the writer that I am.
Ultimately, criticisms done right should never feel like an attack. It should feel like you want the writer to succeed, just as much as they do.
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